How to choose a surgeon? A. Ortiz, A. Lopez, or F. Garcia???
Hello all,
I decided back in May that I was positive I wanted gastric sleeve. The doctor here said my insurance would cover it. I waited weeks for the mandatory seminar, then more weeks for an initial consultation, months of appointments to get everything in order (psych and nutritonal eval, blood work, sleep study, etc) then....NOTHING. It's nearly October and I am just getting the run-around. I am beyond frustrated but thinking I will just go back to my original plan and choose a surgeon in Mexico. My hubs is worried about this so I need to make sure I choose a fantastic surgeon with a great reputation who operates at a pristine facility in order to put his mind at ease.
After reading through these and other boards, I found that Dr. Alvarez has a great rep but since I'm in SoCal that doesn't make sense to travel that far. So far I have come up with these 3 doctors. Ariel Ortiz at OCC seems great, he's the most expensive but since I'm putting my life in their hands, cost is not the most important thing to me. Fernando Garcia performs at Cer Hospital and seems to be the least expensive option. And, Alejandro Lopez who I believe operates at Vida? For those who've done more research, which of these would you choose and why? Is there a better doctor that I should be considering? The only concerning thing I've read so far seems to be that Dr. Lopez performs up to 8 surgeries a day. I would prefer not to be on an assembly line. Is there anything else that I'm missing? Help please. I am very anxious to get on with my new, healthier life. Thanks in advance.
I think I've decided to eliminate Dr. Lopez. He seems to have moved around quite a bit, I haven't heard back from him yet on my inquiry, and I do not like that I read he performs so many surgeries in a day. This leaves Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Fernando Garcia. Both have sent information through email and called me. Both seem to have loyal, successful patients and active Facebook accounts. My only dilemma is the price. Dr. Ortiz is $2300 more than Dr. Garcia. I am usually a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" but I seem to like what I see with both of these surgeons. This is so hard as it's such a big decision. Deciding on elective surgery is scary enough, adding in traveling to another country adds a whole other level of fear, and choosing the right surgeon amidst all the confusion seems an impossible task!
I had my surgery with Dr. Garcia in October 2014, so I am almost a year out. I can tell you that getting in touch with them afterwards is pretty much not an option (they don't respond to emails) but other than that, he did a good job. My scarring is minimal and I have had no complications other than the normal ones that just about everyone has (like nausea when eating too much and constipation). All in all he did a great job and I would recommend him, although you should probably find someone in the US you can follow up with. Good luck to you!
Hi Cali,I also had surgery with Dr Camelo back in Tijuana, he is a charm, and his team were great to me. I went there by myself but never felt like it. They were always there for me....and they still are...time to time we get in tocuh asking about my progress.
I recomend you DR Camelo, I saw many patients from diferent companies there at Florence Hospital, and I had no doubt, about my choice.
I know we supposed not to do this here, but if you like I have their number
Hi Caligirl,
congrats on your decision, it took me a long time to make up my mind about getting a gastric sleeve but once I decided, I never looked back. Like you, my husband was not on board with my decision and neither were my kids. I'm a diabetic and over 50 so I did my research, one of the most important factors in making my decision was finding a doctor that did not perform too many surgeries per day, aside from the obvious of course (quick response from his team, good hospital not a clinic, support group for post op, etc.) I used Dr. Mario Camelo through Quality Medical Facilitators at Florence Hospital in Tiajuana, and I was DELIGHTED. I cannot tell you how well I was treated and how personal everything was. My doctor checked on me every day and spent time with me, he came in, sat down and listened to what I had to say (he doesn't speak fluent English so there was a translator). My coordinators were with me every step of the way. I was going to go alone but my daughter decided to accompany me and she was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Camelo will not perform more than four surgeries per day. Message me if you have any questions, I had my sleeve done in May of this year, have lost almost 70 lbs now and I had no complications. They have a private Facebook support group, look them up, you won't regret it.
Hi Becca! When did you have your surgery? Mine was in May, I'm down almost 70 lbs. Doctor Camelo was great and so was everyone at the hospital, loved them. Did you stay at the recovery hotel there at the hospital? Both Veronica and Cynthya are in the support group, were they your coordinators? You should join, you'll love it. Look for Quality Medical Facilitators in Facebook and ask to join the group. Send me a message and I'll give you all the info., I don't see a lot Dr. Camelo's patients post here, this is exciting.
